View Vexes Electronic Arts

Updated from 5:03 p.m. EDT

Video-game publisher Electronic Arts(ERTS Quote - Cramer on ERTS - Stock Picks) beat fourth-quarter analysts expectations but guided lower for the coming quarter and fiscal year.

EA said Tuesday its fourth-quarter loss widened to $25 million, or 8 cents as hare, from $16 million, or 5 cents a share, a year earlier.

Excluding stock-based compensation charge of $24 million, the company earned 6 cents a share, or $19 million, compared with 14 cents a share, or $43 million in the prior-year's quarter. On that basis, it beat Thomson First Call estimates of 2 cents a share.

Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 was $613 million, down 4% compared with $641 million for the prior year, primarily because of the market's transition to next-generation consoles, said EA. Analysts had been expecting, on average, $586.3 million.

Shares of Electronic Arts were recently off $1.34, or 2.5%, to $51.60 in after-hours trading.

"We want to focus on improving execution and predictability," said John Riccitiello, EA's new CEO, who took over the reins from from Larry Probst, EA's current chairman, on April 2.

"We are working to align our team to be faster and better focused on opportunities and accelerate ahead," he said.

On a conference call with analysts, EA declined to commit to a launch date for its much-awaited PC game, Spore.

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